Relax inducing device with heartbeat detection unit

• US 5,993,401 A
• Filed: 08/21/1997
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Michimori, Akihiro, Makita, Satoru, Ookawa, Kazumi, Iwanaga, Kusuo, Inbe, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): DeMille, Danton D.
• Application Number:
  US08/894,522
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 601/49, 601/46, 601/84, 601/86, 601/90, 601/98, 601/115, 601/56, 601/51, 601/52, 601/57, 601/59, 601/60, 601/70, 607/17, 607/19, 482/900, 482/9, 482/54
• US Class Current: 601/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/00 Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/005 Parameter used as control input for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/06 Heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/42 Rate

Abstract

A relax inducing device comprises a biological parameter detecting unit for detecting biological parameter of a user, stimulus loading unit for providing a stimulus to the user, relax-level determining unit for determining a relax level of the user by comparing the biological parameter provided from the biological parameter detecting unit with at least one relax-level threshold value, and a stimulus control unit for controlling an amount of the stimulus according to the relax level to induce the user into a relax state. In this device, since an optimum amount of stimulus is provided to the user on a real-time basis, it is possible to efficiently and smoothly induce the user into the relax state.

Claims

1. A relax inducing device comprising:

heartbeat information detecting means for successively measuring a heartbeat attainment time, which is defined as a time period necessary to count a predetermined heartbeat number, said heartbeat attainment time being measured every cycle of the predetermined heartbeat number;

change-rate determining means for determining a change rate which is defined as a ratio of an initial heartbeat attainment time measured at an initial cycle of the predetermined heartbeat number by said heartbeat information detecting means to said heartbeat attainment time measured at a subsequent cycle thereof;

stimulus loading means for providing a stimulus to the user;

relax-level determining means for determining a relax level of the user by comparing said change rate with at least one predetermined relax-level threshold value; and

stimulus control means for controlling an amount of said stimulus according to said relax level determined by said relax-level determining means to induce the user into a relax state.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one relax-level threshold value is a plurality of relax-level threshold values for a multigrade evaluation of said relax level.

3. The device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said relax-level threshold values are 4% and 11% of a change rate of a heartbeat attainment time, said change rate being defined as a ratio of an initial heartbeat attainment time measured at an initial cycle of a predetermined heartbeat number to a subsequent heartbeat attainment time measured at a subsequent cycle of the predetermined heartbeat number, and said heartbeat attainment time being defined as a time period necessary to count the predetermined heartbeat number, and wherein said relax-level determining means determines said relax level from three grades of a first relax level within a range of less than 4% of said change rate, a second relax level within a range of 4% to less than 11% of said change rate, and a third relax level within a range of 11% or more of said change rate.

4. The device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said stimulus control means controls said stimulus amount such that as said relax level increases from said first relax level toward said third relax level, said stimulus amount decreases.

5. The device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stimulus control means controls said stimulus amount such that said stimulus loading means provides a different number of stimulus per minute according to said relax level of the user.

6. The device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stimulus control means controls said stimulus amount such that said stimulus loading means provides a different strength of stimulus according to said relax level of the user.

7. The device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stimulus control means controls said stimulus amount such that said stimulus loading means provides a different strength of stimulus at a different number of stimulus per minute according to said relax level of the user.

8. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stimulus loading means provides a kneading massage.

9. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stimulus control means controls said stimulus amount to decrease a stimulus number of the massage actions provided by said stimulus loading means per minute when said said change rate provided from said change-rate determining means is constant over a predetermined period.

11. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein said relax-level threshold values are 0%, 2%, 4%, 8%, 11% and 13% of said change rate of the heartbeat number, and said change rate being calculated by the equation defined in claim 5, and wherein said relax-level determining means determines said relax level from six grades of a first relax level within a range of 0% to less than 2% of said change rate, a second relax level within a rage of 2% to less than 4% of said change rate, a third relax level within a range of 4% to less than 8% of said change rate, a fourth relax level within a range of 8% to less than 11%, a fifth relax level within a range of 11% to less than 13% of said change rate, and a sixth relax level within a range of 13% or more of said change rate.

12. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein said stimulus control means controls said stimulus amount such that as said relax level increases from said first relax level toward said sixth relax level, said stimulus amount decreases.

13. The device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said at least one relax-level threshold value is a plurality of relax-level threshold values for a multigrade evaluation of said relax level.

14. The device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said stimulus control means controls said stimulus amount such that as said heartbeat number decreases, said stimulus amount is smaller.

15. The device as set forth in claim 5, further comprising:

standard value deriving means for providing a heartbeat-signal standard value which is defined as an average value of heartbeat-signal intervals of a predetermined number of continuous heartbeat signals, said heartbeat-signal intervals having a dispersion within a required percentage; and

heartbeat-signal revising means for canceling an abnormal heartbeat signal appeared within a first interval of less than a predetermined percentage of said heartbeat-signal standard value.

16. The device as set forth in claim 5, further comprising;

standard value deriving means for providing a heartbeat-signal standard value which is defined as an average value of heartbeat-signal intervals of a predetermined number of continuous heartbeat signals, said heartbeat-signal intervals having a dispersion within a required percentage; and

heartbeat-signal revising means for inserting a supplement signal into a second interval of more than a predetermined percentage of said heartbeat-signal standard value.

17. The device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said heartbeat-signal revising means providing a required number of supplement signals at an interval substantially equal to said heartbeat-signal standard value.

18. The device as set forth in claim 5, further comprising:

standard value deriving means for providing a heartbeat-signal standard value which is defined as an average value of heartbeat-signal intervals of a predetermined number of continuous heartbeat signals said heartbeat-signal intervals having a dispersion within a required percentage; and

first heartbeat-signal revising means for canceling an abnormal heartbeat signal appeared within a first interval of less than a predetermined percentage of said heartbeat-signal standard value; and

second heartbeat-signal revising means for inserting a supplement signal into a second interval of more than a predetermined percentage of said heartbeat-signal standard value.

10. A relax inducing device comprising:

heartbeat-information detecting means for successively counting a heartbeat number every cycle of a predetermined time period;

change-rate determining means for determining a change rate (Δ

HR) defined by the following equation;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Δ

HR=100X(HR(0)-HR(n))/HR(0),

wherein "HR(0)" is an initial heartbeat number counted by said heartbeat information detecting means at an initial cycle of the predetermined time period, and "HR(n)" is a heartbeat number counted at a subsequent cycle "n"(=1,2,3 . . . );

stimulus loading means for providing a stimulus to the user;

relax-level determining means for determining a relax level of the user by comparing said change rate provided from said change-rate determining means with at least one predetermined relax-level threshold value; and

stimulus control means for controlling an amount of said stimulus according to said relax level provided from said relax-level determining means to induce the user into a relax state.

19. A relax inducing device comprising:

heartbeat information detecting means for successively measuring a heartbeat attainment time, which is defined as a time period necessary to count a predetermined heartbeat number, said heartbeat attainment time being measured every cycle of the predetermined heartbeat number;

a change-rate determining means for determining a change rate (Δ

T) defined by the following equation;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Δ

T=100X(T(0)-T(n))/T(0),

wherein "T(0)" is an initial heartbeat attainment time measured at an initial cycle of the predetermined heartbeat number by said heartbeat information detecting means, and "T(n)" is a heartbeat attainment time measured at a subsequent cycle "n" (=1,2,3 . . . );

stimulus loading means for providing a stimulus to the user;

relax-level determining means for determining a relax level of the user by comparing said change rate provided from said change-rate determining means with at least one predetermined relax-level threshold value; and

stimulus control means for controlling an amount of stimulus according to said relax level provided from said relax-level determining means to induce the user into a relax state.